File.



No. 849,774. PATENTED APR. 9, 1907.

E. G. DOW. FILE.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.23, 1903.

EBENEZER GREIG DOW, or mNDON, ENGLAND.

FILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Eatented April 9, 1907.

Application filed December 23,1903. Serial No. 186,303.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, EBENEZER GREIG Dow, a sub ect of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing in London, England,

. upper member is in the form of a strip and either independent of the cover or a part of the cover or attached to it.

This invention provides, a more practical and secure arrangement than those files of a 1 similar nature hitherto in use and holds the papers more firmly and closely bound together. Such files as at present constructed usually involve the threading of the tags through the holes of the upper member when a document is addedor withdrawn, and in one or two cases in which slots, have been substituted for holes the difficulty of retainmg the tags in the slots has not been properly overcome. In files provided with a cover andinset strips or folds and where the tags have been firmly folded down, which is usually the case when malleable metallic tags are used, there is a tendency of the tag to be' come unfolded and to project, thus causing the cover or the fold to be torn or bent out of shape and preventing the cover from properly closing.

This invention provides an arrangement whereby threading through the holes of the upper member is avoided and the tags are he d firmly in osition.

One form 0 letter-file made in accordance with this invention is rovided with an upper and a lower mem er, in one of which, preferably the upper, two or more slots are cut in the edge and. the tags attached to or passed through the other member are so disposed as to be readily inserted'edgewise through the said slots. The edges of the slots are preferably protected by a metal late formed with slots and folded down over oth sides of the up er member, and one or more catches or late es are rovided on the upper member and adapted The l l close the ends of the slots, hold the tags down, and grip the edge of said member.

E In use when the tags have passed through i the papers to be filed and the upper member I has been brought into position over the pa- 2 pers, so that the tags pass into the slots therein, the tags-are folded down flat onto the up- I per member and the latches or catches are 3 then turned so as to clip or grip the tags between the shoes and the fold or protectingplate and close the ends of the slots. If desired for smoother working, a recess may be 1 made in the face of the upper member or out l in the metal protecting-plate to receive the folded tag.

1 Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 is i a perspective view of one form of file made in l accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a l plan of the binding device. Fig. 3 is a crosssection of the upper member. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the cover.

A plate of tinned iron (1- or other suitable material is bent into U form and embraces a strip 0, of board, cloth, or other material, which forms the upper member of the device. The plate a is provided near each end with a slot b in the folded edge of the same.

p denotes the lower member of the binding device, which is made in one piece with the upper member, as shown in Fig. 4, both of said menibers bein integral with the cover of the file, denoted by reference character m. Said cover is hinged at 0. The papers,which are held between the upper and lower members c p and inclosed by the cover, are denoted by reference character n.

The papers n are intended to be secured between the members 0 p by means of a tag k, connected to the lower member and extending upwardly through perforations in the papers. The ends of this tag pass through the slots 5 in the plate a. and through slots which are formed in the upper member a to coincide with the slots 12'. For the purpose of retainingand.gripping the ends of the tag in position in the slots 1) clamping devices (1 are provided. These devices are in the form of U-shaped clamps, which are pivoted to the plate a at points adjacent the slots 1), as shown at e, and straddle said plate. They are arranged to swing laterally over the folded edge of said plate in order to firmly. grip the ends of the tag and hold the same 2 down upon the plate a. Each clamp d is to rotate and i pivoted in such a manner that the inner edge I I0 f of its upper portion will pass completely over the corresponding end of the tag. The upper wide portion of each clamp ext-ends substantially throughout the length of the clamp, whereby the clamp fits throughout its length over the tag, and thus holds the same down very firmly on the plate a. The lower portion of each clamp is of substantially less width than the upper portion, as shown, and is provided at its edge with a recess g, which when the clamp is in operative posit-ion fits over the corresponding slot '6, but allows sufficient space for the tag. as shown at the right side of Fig. 2. Thus the edge of the lower portion of the clamp is made to retain the tag in the corresponding slot 6 and prevents the lateral shifting of the tag, while the upper portion of the clamp bears down upon the end of the tag and grips it firmly against the plate a. sist of a strip of flexible brass sharpened atthe ends and connected with the lower member p and projecting above the same, so that they can be bent down parallel thereto.

One method of fixing the tags k is to punch two holes in at a distance apart corresponding to that )etween the slots b. The tags is are then threaded through these two holes, so that the ends thereof protrude upward and are of approximately equal length.

In operation two holes are punched through the papers 12, the distance between them corresponding to the distance between the slots b. The ends of the tag I are then threaded through these holes of the papers,

The tags or needles conand the upper member a (and the shoes 11) is then brought into position over the papers '12,

the ends of the tag k bein disposed in the slot 5. The clamps or sloes d are then swung to close the slots and at the same time the edgesff bend the tag 7: over the edges of the slots 1) b and fold it against a, where it is held firmly, thus securely binding the papers n.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a binder, the combination of upper and lower members between which the papers are held, the upper member being provided at its edge with) slot-s, a U-shaped plate em-' length of the clamp to grip the tag and hold the same down on said plate, the lower portion of each clamp being of less width than the upper portion and provided at its inner edge with a recess to receive the tag and thus prevent its lateral shifting in the corresponding slot.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EBENEZER GREIG DOW. Witnesses:

PERCY ROWE, ROBERT M. SPEARPOINT. 

